MILLWORKERS OF NEW ENGLAND
an ONLINE LIVE evening of historically topical traditional folk music by DIANE TARAZ
In the early 1800s, the invention of the power loom disrupted the way fabric had always been made, and who had made it. Through the music of the times, Diane explores the revolutionary changes “weaving by steam" brought to the lives of workers who seized new options for better pay and independence.
The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation stands on the site of the first integrated textile mill in America. We will hear the story of its creation and the fascinating way it worked. After economic downturns, mills filled their workrooms with immigrants. The Bread & Roses strike of 1912 united workers who spoke dozens of languages in a common quest for respect, adequate pay, and decent working conditions.
Diane performs in early-1900s working clothes and accompanies her crystal-clear singing on parlor guitar and lap dulcimer. The songs include “The Hand-Weaver and the Factory Maid,” “Doffin’ Mistress,” “The Factory Girl’s Come-All-Ye,” “Home, Sweet Home,” “The Four-Loom Weaver,” “Old Folks at Home,” “Bread and Roses,” and “Hard Times Come Again No More.”
As a descendant of millworkers on both sides of her family, Diane is proud to present songs that capture their hopes and dreams. Find out more about Diane at www.dianetaraz.com.
To register and receive a Zoom link, please email us at info@charlesrivermuseum.org
You can also view this show live on Facebook next Saturday at 6!
